[Passatman]

Hi Neil, waiting to hear your decoding of the vibrating Gixxer, umm Or should I say GSXRR! I don't seem to have any vibrations on my bike ( touchwood). But that's not saying much, since my last experience riding a bike was way back in 1989 on my Rorty Traffic Zapper ( seriously ��). My KB 100 used to vibrate so much @ 80 kmph ( about 8 clicks on the Tacho) that my watch used to stop working ��!

[neil.jericho]

For the last several weeks, Ive been trying to work out the right dates for a 5 / 6 day solo ride. Due to one reason or the other, things just never fell in place. Deciding to make do with what little time that I could scrape together, I headed off to Coonoor on an impromptu trip. The quaint little hill station remains as charming as ever.

Summer is coming !


The trees are shedding their leaves


Beautiful sunsets


A few trees were in full bloom


Stunning

[neil.jericho]

The little known tourist attraction of Chakki Para was the destination for our usual Sunday morning ride. It is so off the radar that Google Maps doesnt lead you to the exact location. You will have to keep stopping and asking the locals for directions. The climb up from the main road is pretty steep and you can take your motorcycles only up to a particular point. There is no parking as such, you have to leave your bikes on the concrete path.

From there, it is a steep climb up to near the rocky top. You do get marvellous views from up there. If you are fit and / or daring enough to go all the way to the hill top, be prepared for some careful navigation through drying trees and tricky rocks. The stunning views from the top do make up for all the effort. There also is a large cross on the hill top.

Overall, this was another fun Sunday morning ride, that clocked in at around 120 kilometers, in total. The little Suzuki GSXRRR 250 does an impressive job of hanging with the much bigger Tiger 800s, on our Kerala roads.

Trying to find our way to Chakki Para




The climb up from the abrupt end of the road


The view from the hill


The final short climb up to the hill top


The view from the hill top


The Cross on the hill top


Glad to be returning in 1 piece!

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

When I took my bike for its 3rd service to the Suzuki superbike dealership, I expected a top notch experience. After all, this is the same team that works on all the Hayabusas and VStrom 650s in Kerala. I still havent gotten over how they serviced the bike without checking the brake pads. A few days ago, while I was on a ride, I suddenly found the dash showing an "OIL CHANGE" warning. The service advisor confirmed that they had forgotten to connect the Suzuki tool to the bike, to clear the automatic "OIL CHANGE" warning which gets triggered after the bike crosses a particular odometer reading. He asked me to bring the bike in, so that they can clear the warning from the dash. I'm beginning to wonder what else they might have forgotten during the service

It turns out that you dont need to hook up the motorcycle to the Suzuki tool, to clear out the OIL CHANGE warning. The helpful Service Advisor held down the left button on the dash while starting the motorcycle. After that, he fiddled around with the buttons and set the distance after which the OIL CHANGE service interval is supposed to pop up.

In a prior conversation with the showroom manager, he had suggested that at the next service, we could try out the Motul 300V fully synthetic engine oil. As per my understanding, the dealerships can only provide Ecstar (Suzuki's in house brand) or Motul engine oil. The 300V is the top of the line fully synthetic engine oil from Motul, though its use is primarily for race purposes. Indian bikers have long had a fondness for the 300V. I've used it a decade ago, when I owned a first generation Yamaha R15 and the results were very good.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

The suspension being on the stiffest setting did help improve the handling in the twisties. Fresh out of the showroom, the stock setting of the rear preload was 5 (out of 7). That was good for touring and some spirited riding, but it fell short on the track. The rear preload was changed to the maximum of level 7, during the 3rd service. I should probably experiment with level 6, to see how it fares.

While I was at Suzuki's superbike dealership, I got them to change the preload setting. Im not sure how to explain this, but moving the preload at the rear, from level 7 (highest) down a notch, didnt work out as I thought it would. The bike felt almost as stiff as what it did, when it was at the level 7. It was closer to the level 7 than it was to the level 5, that's for certain! I might go back to the level 7 and try to analyze the difference in the feel.

After getting the preload adjusted, Ive started to hear a slight squeaking noise from the rear of the motorcycle. I noticed it only because I was on a local errand and had forgotten to pick up my ear plugs, before leaving. This is something else to be looked into in the coming week.

[dheer4]

Hi Neil, how are the vibrations after they changed the balancer shaft? My SF250 has done 22,000 Kms and I feel vibrations just as you described after the engine was replaced at 15,000 Kms.

[saitvsk23]

Originally Posted by dheer4

Hi Neil, how are the vibrations after they changed the balancer shaft? My SF250 has done 22,000 Kms and I feel vibrations just as you described after the engine was replaced at 15,000 Kms.

You had your engine replaced? After just 15k km? Suzuki, is that even you?

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by dheer4

Hi Neil, how are the vibrations after they changed the balancer shaft? My SF250 has done 22,000 Kms and I feel vibrations just as you described after the engine was replaced at 15,000 Kms.

dheer4, unfortunately it looks as though your experience exactly matches what the rest of us have already seen on our respective GSXRRRRRRs. This also furthers my hypothesis which I had posted on the Vibrations thread

Though the sample set is one, this feedback leads me to further believe that
- The Gixxer / SF 250 motorcycles have some inherent engine design characteristic / trait, that causes them to lose their refinement. The most common tipping point, from crowdsourced data, seems to be around 6,000 kilometers. The solution is to get the warranty claim approved, thereby making the bike smoother, as in the case of my bike.

My suggestion is to push Suzuki strongly for the parts replacement which is in line with their limited recall (which ought to have been a pan-India recall for all the 250s ). Needless to say, Suzuki moves at its own speed. In my case, they delivered my bike within a month but in the case of my friend and TBHPian ITZ_Zeta, things are proceeding at a snail's pace. With the changed parts, the bike's smoothness has increased a lot. It will not be as butter smooth as it was pre-break in of the engine (i.e. the initial 6,000 kilometer honeymoon period) but its at par with all other single cylinder bikes in the segment. Changing the engine oil from the fully synthetic Ecstar oil, will also have an impact on the engine's smoothness factor. That is something that we owners have to experiment with, before we share our findings with each other.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

The first service of the Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 was completed in July 2022. The second service of the Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 was completed in September 2022. The third service was scheduled for the 10th of February / the odometer reading of 9,500 to 10,000 kilometers. I decided to get the service completed a few weeks earlier, than required.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Overall, the first service cost Rs 814. The second service cost Rs 936 (slight increase in spares cost). The third service cost Rs 1,142 (including the air filter change). Lets just say that Im loving the wallet friendly service costs associated with the GSXRRRRR250.

I forgot to upload the bill for the third service. Below is the split of the service costs.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

- If there was one weak link, it was the suspension. By day 2, I had really started to dig into the motorcycle's capabilities. On hard braking, the plush suspension (which does a fabulous job in the real world) started making its limitations known. This led to some chatter from the bike, especially the rear, which told me that the suspension needed to be sorted out, if I was really going to dial up the pace. Unfortunately, the rear suspension needs a particular type of tool to adjust the preload, which the track technicians did not possess. The next time that I head to the track with my GSXRRR errr I mean the Gixxer SF 250, I will stiffen the rear suspension before-hand.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

While I was at Suzuki's superbike dealership, I got them to change the preload setting. Im not sure how to explain this, but moving the preload at the rear, from level 7 (highest) down a notch, didnt work out as I thought it would. The bike felt almost as stiff as what it did, when it was at the level 7. It was closer to the level 7 than it was to the level 5, that's for certain! I might go back to the level 7 and try to analyze the difference in the feel.

I recently visited Suzuki's superbike showroom and got the lead technician to adjust the rear preload back to level 5. Since I had been told that there was a special Suzuki tool for setting the rear preload, I was curious to see what it looked like. Guess what? Its the exact same C spanner as what every other bike uses! The mild complexity with the Suzuki GSXRRR arises from the fact that the mudguard between the engine and the rear tire, gets in the way of directly accessing the suspension. Hence, the trick is to adjust the preload from the left side of the bike (i.e. the non silencer side). This makes things a lot easier, than what it would otherwise be, if attempted from the other side. The alternative solution is to remove that plastic part before heading to the track.

Hard to access the preload adjustment


You see the C spanner

Meanwhile, the Indian summer isnt completely here but the heat is already getting to everyone. Ive got some mile munching to do with the GSXRRR 250 in the coming weeks. Lets see how the little Suzuki deals with the the rising temperatures and hundreds of kilometers of riding across mixed conditions.

[neil.jericho]

With modern bikes shifting to a LED headlight setup, many riders have observed that the output is not as strong as what they would have liked it to be. This is what I had written about the headlight of the GSXRRRR 250 in my initial review.

How do the headlights behave in the real world? The headlights have a really good spread, while the intensity could have been better. On deserted roads that are not illuminated, you can easily put your full trust in these headlights. Where you might have a tough time, is when there is traffic coming at you from the other side. Their headlights will wash out some of the illumination from your motorcycle. This is when you will wish that the output was more intense.

While on a recent trip, I had the opportunity to ride the GSXRRRRRR 250 in pitch dark conditions. I took a few pictures when the road dipped a little, as well as, when there was a slight incline. As you will observe, there is no major difference between the two. The high beam adds a concentrated spread in the middle, while also marginally increasing the height of the illumination on the sides.

Road decline - Low Beam


Road decline - High Beam


Road incline - Low Beam


Road incline - High Beam

[neil.jericho]

Recently, I completed a lovely multi-day roundabout ride that included visiting Kolli Hills and Yercaud. While passing through Tiruchengode, I spotted an inviting road that snaked up a barren hill. Temporarily discarding my travel plans, I hunted down the road, only to find that it led to the Arulmigu Thiru Arthanareeswarar Temple. The sinewy road up to the temple gives you mesmerizing views of the city of Tirchengode. If you are passing by, do consider taking this deviation.

I have been to Kolli Hills only once before. That was a ride and a half, to say the least. My friends and I still reminisce about that fantastic day of motorcycling. This time around, I was less spell bound by the 70 hairpin bends. It still was tremendous fun, but all those technical bends are compressed into a very short distance. All things considered, motorcycling enthusiasts in South India must ride to it, at least once in their lifetime.

As for Yercaud, I absolutely love the approach road from Salem. What it lacks in frequency of hairpin bends, it makes up for in near countless twists and turns. To spice things up, I tried out the alternative circuitous route that goes through Valavandi. Where the traditional route excels in giving you a supersized helping of twisties, this longer route gives you a mixed bag of everything that you can think of. Additionally, the road does narrow down in several sections, which just amplifies the fun quotient for motorcyclists. This is another route that motorcyclists in this part of the country simply have to try out.

Riding back to Cochin through the 4 and 6 lane highways of Tamil Nadu in the oppressive heat, was a tad annoying as I had to keep my cruising speeds controlled, to avoid being plagued by the persistent vibrations. However, as soon as I crossed back over into Kerala, I fell in love with the bike all over again. Here, you cannot cruise at 110 kmph because of the speed cameras and multiple junctions / signals that you encounter on the highways. You have to play in the (odometer indicated) 80 to 110 kmph zone and work through the gearbox. This is a whole lot of fun. The sweet spot is 6th gear at 6,000 RPM which is an indicated 90 kmph (actual GPS reading of 81 kmph), which to be honest, isnt really a respectable highway cruising speed.

Some of you might be wondering why I havent considered alternative motorcycles, if I am unhappy with the vibrations of the GSXRRRRRRR 250. The truth is that I did test ride several single cylinder motorcycles and my observations were rather surprising. That, however, is a story for another day.

Looking down at the town of Tiruchengode


On the way up to Kolli Hills


Riding towards Yercaud


Some deceptively treacherous offroading that made me wish I had a real adventure bike like the Himalayan 411


People who have been to Yercaud will recognize this location


Play time is over

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Coming from the BS3 Duke 390, the vibes on the Suzuki 250 will probably not bother you in the least bit!

Hi neil, I picked up a Gixxer 250 just today. I had almost eliminated it from my potential options for a while and concentrated on the ABS FZ25. But potential bikes up for sale were few and I did end up checking out 2-3 of them but they were not in great condition to say the least. That's when a Gixxer 250 popped up right inside my tight budget. It felt unmolested in first inspection so I decided to take a gamble knowing the potential issues you guys were facing like vibrations, really poor resale value and the lack of support from Suzuki. Lets just say I was tired after almost 4 months of trying to find a decent bike

It is a single owner bike with 15000kms on the clock and under 2 years old. It had existing warranty and extended warranty upto 2026. Got it for a really decent price. Lets say it was on par with what most ABS FZ25s were listed for. It looked pretty clean on the outside with no obvious signs of abuse.

I went through all the ownership threads here at least a couple of times. The vibrations were the major concern for almost 80% of the owners along with oil weeps, paint quality etc. I have owned a BS3 Duke 390 for 8 years, and a Karizma R and AS200 for a couple of years each. So your words were on the back of my mind about the vibrations. I mean how bad it can be as a former Duke 390 owner

I had to ride it almost 90 kms today to get it to Thrissur, my hometown. The route was a good stress test for the bike. Unfortunately I can confirm that the vibes were present at all rpm ranges on my way back and it was enough to annoy an OG Duke 390 owner. And the occurrence was so random as well. Initially the vibes were quite harsh but then I gave the engine a good spanking in each gear and somehow it felt pretty acceptable for the rest of the ride. It was not a placebo. I have developed a high level of Mechanical OCD after buying and owning used bike lemons . Also noticed that the engine gets particularly vibey when its really hot.

I'm waiting to see how the situation develops. Hope the experience is not a bad one as the rest of the bike seems pretty well developed and a perfect downgrade from a KTM. Even the engine power & torque delivery is very likeable. We do expect the Japs to usually do a better job than the Europeans and Indians but its fair to say that I'm a little disappointed. Fingers crossed

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by b16h22

Hi neil, I picked up a Gixxer 250 just today.

b16h22, congratulations on picking up your Gixxer 250. Barring the vibey engine, this platform from Suzuki offers a very good balance of practicality and fun. If one can ignore the vibrations, the linear power delivery is genuinely enjoyable in our Kerala conditions. Once your current tires run out, slap on some Apollo Alpha H1s and see how the enjoyment quotient goes up by leaps and bounds! Keep an eye out on those OEM brake pads. They wear out super quickly. A shift to Versah pads is a good upgrade. For the choppy throttle issue that you mentioned in the other thread, try out some injector cleaner and see if it works.

As for the (in)famous 250cc engine, my suggestion is to first get your ownership details updated in the Suzuki system and then, push your local dealer for getting the same warranty replacement as what ITZ_Zeta and I have gotten. All the details are there on the respective threads. The showroom teams might be reluctant, at first. They can speak to the concerned technical teams in Bike Zone (Vytilla, Cochin) and APCO Suzuki (Kozhikode) to confirm how to go about the warranty process. Ask to speak to the area service manager and ask him to have a word with his manager, who is the gentleman who runs service operations for Kerala. Put all this on email.

This will be a slow process, but Suzuki will eventually replace the parts, as per the limited official recall. With that, your bike will be a lot smoother than what it is now.

I should update the Vibrations thread with some updated findings of mine. They are in line with your observation.

Are you part of the Whatsapp group for Kerala Suzuki Gixxer owners? If not, drop me your number by PM and Ill get you added in there.

[neil.jericho]

Last Sunday, a few friends and I rode down to Athirapally. Our group consisted of a Triumph Tiger 800, a Kawasaki Z900, a new-ish Hero Xpulse 200 and the Suzuki GSXRRRRRRRRR 250. Though the pace was a lot slower than usual, the winding road to Athirapally was as fun as it has ever been. There was no escaping the incoming summer heat, though!

At some point of time during the ride, the motorcycle crossed 11,000 kilometers on the odometer. I dont recall hitting this milestone this early, with any of my previous motorcycles. However, unlike those motorcycles, this one isnt a keeper!

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

b16h22, congratulations on picking up your Gixxer 250. Barring the vibey engine, this platform from Suzuki offers a very good balance of practicality and fun. If one can ignore the vibrations, the linear power delivery is genuinely enjoyable in our Kerala conditions. Once your current tires run out, slap on some Apollo Alpha H1s and see how the enjoyment quotient goes up by leaps and bounds! Keep an eye out on those OEM brake pads. They wear out super quickly. A shift to Versah pads is a good upgrade. For the choppy throttle issue that you mentioned in the other thread, try out some injector cleaner and see if it works.

As for the (in)famous 250cc engine, my suggestion is to first get your ownership details updated in the Suzuki system and then, push your local dealer for getting the same warranty replacement as what ITZ_Zeta and I have gotten. All the details are there on the respective threads. The showroom teams might be reluctant, at first. They can speak to the concerned technical teams in Bike Zone (Vytilla, Cochin) and APCO Suzuki (Kozhikode) to confirm how to go about the warranty process. Ask to speak to the area service manager and ask him to have a word with his manager, who is the gentleman who runs service operations for Kerala. Put all this on email.

This will be a slow process, but Suzuki will eventually replace the parts, as per the limited official recall. With that, your bike will be a lot smoother than what it is now.

I should update the Vibrations thread with some updated findings of mine. They are in line with your observation.

Are you part of the Whatsapp group for Kerala Suzuki Gixxer owners? If not, drop me your number by PM and Ill get you added in there.

Thanks Neil. I'm aware of the short life of pads. A friend of mine in KA has a Strom and he has been complaining about the premature (intended?) wear. Vesrahs are certainly on my radar. They are still organic pads aren't they? I used to have the HH EBCs on my 390. But surprisingly the bite from stock setup is adequate it's just that you need to put in the brake pressure to get it. Not a big deal as it is better than the fist gen 390 MC I'm so used to. Wont be pushing the braking limits as I'm still recovering from a lower back injury and the riding is limited mostly to city

I'm actively considering a pour in fuel system cleaner but a little skeptical about the effectiveness of those.

About the warranty claim, I'll observe the bike for a while before making a move. I'm not entirely sure about the local dealer's competitiveness. I happen to own a Suzuki Access as well and do pretty much all the work myself. But since the Gixxer came with extensive warranty cover I'll be making use of it if needed

Yeah, I would certainly like to be a part of the owners group I'll shoot you a DM. As the Gixxer was sold in very limited numbers in KL, I would really like to keep tabs on ownership experiences and long-term developments. It is something I miss coming from an internationally sold bike like the Duke. You could go through endless threads and pick up observations, experiments and solutions by the fellow owners. In the case of Gixxer, I feel we are completely on our own trying to debug the issues

OT: I noticed that you are using Falco Oxegens. How are they holding up for you? Mine decided to disintegrate after about 4-5 years of occasional use. It started with vents then the whole heel plastic section was cracked. Not abused at all. Felt like the heat of the Duke caused the plastics to turn brittle

[b16h22]

Do the Gixxers come stock with Exides? I recently opened the side cover to clean the front sprocket and saw an Amco battery. Considering the bike is under 2 years old, it should've came with it stock or replaced by the SVC at some point under warranty. If it was replaced, why did they put the Amco instead of Exide. Haven't heard much about Amco batteries. Wonder if it is any good